Revolvers acting badly?

[FSJeeper]

After installing the choptop M715/Wag body on my frame with axles and drivtrain today, I loaded it on the trailer to bring it home. About a 2.5 hour drive. Part of the drive was on really bumpy and bad roads. The body on my truck was all over the place. The revolvers were unloading seriously over bumps. Both up and down and side to side and to a great degree. I have not driven it yet, but if it does that on a trailer, it would seem it could do that the road, and if it does, I don't want them.

From the people who actually own them , I hear good things. I wracked my brain trying to figure out the difference of the truck being and a trailer, or driving down the road. I can see no difference, a bump is a bump.

I hope there is an explaination for this and they do not behave like this when driving.

[tomd]

they are installed with the angles inward like

> front rear <

dunno if that makes sense though.

[ August 08, 2002, 10:30 PM: Message edited by: 74 Wag ]

[beater]

a trailer magnifies bumps. dont believe me ride on it you will see what i mean.

[Michael]

Originally posted by beater:
a trailer magnifies bumps. dont believe me ride on it you will see what i mean.I am with beater..... Given that it is strapped down it does magnify things.

[blt2krl]

FSJeeper, I have had my rig on a trail whill towing it down to Moab and it never moved. Are all the bolts torqued to spec?

[FSJeeper]

The revolvers are installed correctly and torqued down.

I always chain my FSJ's down by the springs to prevent bouncing on the trailer, FR, and backup 12,000 lb nylon straps on the frame. So the suspension was pretty much limited in what it could do.

Certainly the revolvers took over where the suspension would usually be working, but man, that thing was all over the place.

Maybe you guys are right, the trailer just magnifies bumps. Mine is a 25' gooseneck with a steel bed, winch,, etc. Real heavy and no shocks. That must be it.

But still, everyone siad the wight of the body would not let it unload like that. Guess I'll just have to see whenn I get it running.

[Tourettes]

forgive my newness to FSJ's, but what is a "revolver"??
i understand it has to do with the suspention, but how?? anyone have a pic?

[tomd]

revolvers are fancy shackles that give you extra droop, but are somewhat contraversial as to the on road safety of them.

http://www.teraflx.com/

[Tourettes]

enlightened!
thanks

[ClarkGriswald]

Ill tell ya what.. I would only strap something to a trailer by the axles. thats it..
on a smaller scale i have seen this time and again.. I used to race quads. if youve ever had dirt bikes your familiar with the squash the front forks down with two tie down straps method in the back of a pickup.. well with a quad on a trailer( or a truck, tractor, backhoe ect...) If you hook your straps to anything above the suspension you are asking for trouble. The case i was mentioning was like this.. a quad fell off a trailer goin down teh highway on the way to silverlake dunes.. we were several trucks back but saw most of it. they werent people we knew just other folks on the way up to the dunes.. if you hit a big enough bump the suspension compresses and the strap that was tight becomes loose.. if that comes off at that point.. well you can guess what happens..

That is exactly the reason that the top end nice car hauling trailers have those nice strap setups with the small straps that go around the axles .. with Two D rings on the ends and then the main straps that lock it down hook to that.. you Lock the axles down and let the "sprung weight" or everything above the springs just float...

Was just thinking that perhaps some of what you noticed was related to that. Not sure how you had it hooked but just had to say my peace on that.

[Millerluck]

I would like to pass along a safety note too.

I seen this in a motorcycle magazine. For tie down straps on bikes. They can come unhooked when things compress. They showed a black rubber bungy strap like all the truckers use to hold tarps down. Hook up the tie down like normal. Then put one S hook in one eye part of the tie down....strech it to the other eye of the tie down. This just acts like a big rubber band and keeps the bigger hooks on the tie down in place, even if it does get slack for half a sec. going over a bump.

Later

Larry Miller

[River Beast]

Originally posted by Tourettes:
forgive my newness to FSJ's, but what is a "revolver"??
i understand it has to do with the suspention, but how?? anyone have a pic?http://www.4wdriver.com/reviews/reviewpics/revsh2.jpg http://www.4wdriver.com/reviews/reviewpics/revolver1.JPG
http://www.rockcrawler.com/techreports/revolvers_samurai/revolver6.jpg http://www.teraflx.com/images/revolvers_cjf_pair_200.jpg

Since noone makes Revolvers for the FSJ... it is common for us to use the XJ rear Reovolvers....FYI

[GruntDoc]

you could just make a "quick disconnect" for the revolvers so that on the street or trailering they wouldnt unload. wouldnt be hard just some flat plate with some holes and cotter pins

[Stuka]

I have seen several people whool install a cotter pin and key to keep the shackle from going up while in regular street ddriving or towing. Its pretty much a most for people with shackles on all corners..as driving ont he street that way is pretty dangerous, just theback isnt as bad tho.

[BIG BAD JON]

Ya know, Stuka, thats a pretty good idea. Havent heard of it around here. There arent too many off-road rigs around here with Revolvers. Theres few off-road rigs around here period! :rolleyes:

[fourtrax]

Originally posted by ClarkGriswald:
I used to race quads.Hey Clark, what kind of quad racing did you do? I race the GNCC series.

[Glenn_tx]

Clark, I tow my kawasaki 650 atv quite a bit and the best way I've found is to strap it down above the suspension. If you're using motorcycle tiedowns it is very difficult to get them tight enough when hooked to the axles. Ratchet type are probably a better option.
When I tie mine down I sit on the atv rack to compress the suspension and pull up on the strap pretty hard. I do this at all four corners and I know it will not move.

[FSJnoob]

We've always strapped everything down by the axles, then driven a couple of miles to let the straps stretch/settle and gotten out to give the ol' rachet straps a click or two. Never had any problems, even when hauling a 6500 pound Suburban.

[ August 12, 2002, 09:11 AM: Message edited by: FSJnoob ]

[Gary Holmes]

Gang:

Got some intersting information relative to the revolvers today. Hadn't really thought about it but going down a steep grade with revolvers in the rear and really standing on the brakes causing the rear end to raise up and unload rear revolvers. Large pucker factor here. Simple fix.

Attach a limiting strap at centerline of rear axle (front works too if revolvers up there)and centerline of body. Length to be apprlx. 1" more than normal droop of complete assembly before revolvers start to open. This will not limnit your articulation but will not allow the revolvers to open up on extreme downgrades or upgrades.

I'll have to try this out. The person who pointed this our to me does alignment for aliving and has revolvers on his XJ also, front and rear.

Any comments, pro or con?

[ArtsiFrtsi]

Gary, I have heard of guys doing just that on Samurai's... it works good to keep from pulling a driveshaft apart too... :D